Mute
by silver six
Summary: a young witch that wasn't there at the sorting shows up in potions one day... set in our heroes' first year at hogwarts. please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

The Strangest Witch: Chapter 1

Please Note: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the other characters in the Harry Potter books.

'Where'd she appear from?' Ron muttered to Harry one day in Potions. Harry glanced over to see what he was speaking about, and saw a girl settling into a chair across the room from him, Ron and Hermione. She hadn't been there the day before, and Harry hadn't seen her when the Sorting had been done. She wore the same robes as everyone else, but her hair was mirror-bright silver, pulled back in a loose ponytail. She set her book bag down next to her desk ('It's almost as full as Hermione's,' Ron murmured) and gazed silently at the front of the room, where Professor Snape now stood.

'Today we'll be making a shrinking potion,' the professor announced, with a sour glance towards the new student. Harry, Ron and Hermione riffled to the page that read how to do this, and started assembling the ingredients, all the while staring at the new girl, who was already cutting root of paisweasel into fine slices.

Hermione's shrinking potion had turned a delicate shade of mauve (correct, the books said) but Ron's and Harry's were both extremely bright shades of luminescent pink. Hermione whispered urgent instructions to them as Snape stalked towards the three, and by the time he arrived at their cauldrons, the three potions were identical shades of violet. Snape wrinkled his nose and swept towards the new girl's desk. He ladled a spoonful of her mauve potion up and let it flow back into the cauldron. 'Too runny,' he sneered. The girl shook her head emphatically. 'What?' Snape asked, his voice unusually loud. The entire class, Slytherins and Gryffindors alike, turned to face him and the girl. The girl shook her head again and held up her wand. A silver ribbon with black lettering on it flowed from the tip and hovered in front of Snape's nose. The ribbon read: _'No, it's not, sir. My potion is the exact consistency of Malfoy's.'_

Snape's eyes widened noticeably (the Gryffindors had collapsed into silent cheers) but he stepped over to Malfoy's cauldron and ladled a spoonful up, letting it pour back in so that everyone could see. 'As everyone can clearly see, Malfoy's shrinking potion is exactly the right consistency, while yours,' he looked meaningfully at the new girl, who was staring icily back, 'is much too runny.'

'If you please, sir,' Hermione protested. 'They were the same.'

'No,' Snape hissed, 'they were not.'

'But—' Harry, Ron and Hermione began together.

'Silence!' Harry noticed that Snape's voice was rather hoarse. 'That will be twenty points from Gryffindor, and detention for all three— er, four—' he glanced at the silver-haired girl as if he wasn't quite used to giving detention to four people '—of you.'

The bell went and everyone gathered up their books, the new girl being the first out the door. Harry and Ron had to wait for Hermione to stuff her textbooks into her bag. 'Hurry up, Hermione,' Ron said, shifting from one foot to the other, 'I want to go congratulate that girl before Herbology. Whoever she is.' But as they hurried out into the hall, they saw that Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle had cornered her by a portrait of an ecstatic-looking young girl.

'Leave her alone, Malfoy,' Harry said.

'No, I don't think so, not yet,' Malfoy drawled with a nasty look at the silver-haired girl, who seemed as though she was trying to stare a hole through his head. 'I want to know something,' he continued, though he was looking a bit unnerved by her frosty gaze. 'Why was it that you didn't just speak to the professor?' He smirked. 'Cat got your tongue?' Malfoy took a step back as the girl's stare hardened. 'Hey!' he called as the girl started away. 'I'm talking to you! Hey! Listen to your betters, you…' But her face stayed as smooth as granite as she swept past the three bullies. Just before she turned the corner, she whirled and pointed her wand at them. Malfoy flinched; but where he'd been expecting a jinx there came two silvery ribbons, one after the other, that floated through the air to rest in front of Malfoy's face. He stared at it for a moment, went very red, and stalked off down the corridor. Ron and Harry strode over to the place where the ribbons had fallen and each picked one up. The first said: _'With all the barely acknowledgeable respect due to you, Malfoy, shut your mouth before it gets you into trouble. Frankly I'm surprised a brainless git like yourself ever made it into Hogwarts. A muggle school would suit you better.' _Ron whistled in admiration.

'Look at this,' Harry said, holding up the second bit of ribbon. It read: _'PS, next time I'll use the bogey hex Ron's been dying to try on you.'_

'That's amazing!' Hermione cried. 'You only told us once that you wanted to use that hex on him, and no one else was around!'

'But what if she was there since the beginning of the year?' Harry suggested thoughtfully. 'Suppose we just never noticed her?'

'Impossible,' Ron said. 'We would have noticed hair like hers during the sorting, or surely on the train.'

'Hurry up, you two!' Hermione exclaimed. 'We're going to be late for Charms!'

What do you think? Should I finish writing it? Please Review, constructive criticism is welcome!

And also, I'm still trying to name the silver-haired girl. If you review, please vote for a first name and a last name: 1st names: 1) Wynd 2) Lyra 3) Keth and 4) Fiona: Last names: 1) Jones 2) Owens 3) Jamison and 4) Wilson


	2. Chapter 2

FanFiction: Harry Potter: Mute: Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one, except for the lovely Miss Lyra Wynds—thanks to Rosalie Cullen for helping me choose the name.

A/N: I now also have an account on FictionPress, albeit with only one story (so far). My pen-name's Sebastian Osprey

They caught up to the girl as they were hurrying across the grounds to the Herbology. "Oi!" Ron called as he caught sight of her silvery hair bobbing across the lawns. "Wait up!"

She turned, surprise registering for a moment on her face. Then, squinting at them, she gave a small smile and slowed down so they could catch up.

"Brilliant insult," Ron said immediately, and she grinned.

Hermione elbowed him. "You've got no manners," she hissed, and then, turning back to the girl: "I'm Hermione Granger, this is Harry, and the primitive one is Ron."

The girl's eyes passed from Hermione, to Ron (her eyes crinkled at Hermione's description of him), and finally lit on Harry. Tilting her head to the side, she raised her wand and another ribbon flew from the tip, reading: _"Harry Potter?"_

"Yeah," he said, wondering if her reaction would be similar to the ones he'd had to endure from students and teachers alike since the beginning of the year.

However, she did not squeak with delight, pump his hand so hard it hurt, sneer at him, whisper excitedly, or do anything except produce another ribbon the said: _Nice to meet you three. I'm Lyra Wynds."_

"Nice to—" Hermione began.

"Anyways," Ron cut her off, his tone clearly saying "Let's get back to the important stuff". "How did you know I wanted to use that hex?"

She shrugged, and the ribbons, one after the other, read, _"A guess. It usually scares people if they think you know something you shouldn't. I didn't think I'd be right, though. Was I really?"_

"Yeah," he said.

She smiled.

"There's something I've been wondering," Hermione said.

The ribbon read, _"What?"_

"I really hope I don't sound like Malfoy when I say this, but… Why don't you just speak?"

Lyra's smile flickered for a moment; she tacked it hastily back in place, and shrugged. The ribbon said simply: _"An accident."_ Another one followed it, assuring Hermione: _"I don't think most people _could_ sound like Malfoy, unless they were imitating a horny toad."_

That kept them laughing until they reached the greenhouse, and stepped inside for Herbology.

6s6

It's pitifully short, I know! I'll try to do better, but right now I've got about five things I want to work on, and I really stink at multitasking. Please review!


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